Writer Shannon Peace Says Goodbye to GENERAL HOSPITAL
The backstage changes continue in the GENERAL HOSPITAL writers’ room. As material from the new headwriting team of Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte begins airing on screen, breakdown writer Shannon Peace has announced her exit from the soap.
“After almost three years on staff and 106 episodes penned, I am no longer on contract with GH,” she shared on Instagram. “Writing for this country’s longest-running television serial drama has been an education of epic proportions; I will be forever grateful that I earned my WGA card on a daytime fixture that holds memories for so many.
“I’m proud of my time on the show,” Peace continued. “I leave behind characters I named and storylines I helped to shape. I was part of a talented team nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards and two Writers Guild Awards.”
Peace began writing for GH back in 2021 and expressed her pride in some of the powerful and important scenes she was able to bring to the screen. “Even more importantly, as the sole Black breakdown writer (and only POC in the writers’ room) during my tenure,” she explained, “I pushed for vital character interactions and discussions that prioritized inclusion, visibility, and representation. Stella and Portia’s frank July 2022 conversation about the role that race played in Esme’s framing of Trina is just one example of the impact I’m gratified to have had.”
The scribe shared her gratitude to former GH headwriters Dan O’Connor and Chris Van Etten for giving her a chance and allowing her to share her voice. “I also want to thank fans who were so supportive and complimentary of my work, especially the recognition of my love for ‘Sprina,’” Peace said. “One of my only regrets is not having the opportunity to develop that ‘ship deeper.
“In the aftermath of a historic writer’s strike that shed new light on the troubling ways writers are regarded in daytime,” she concluded, “my sincere hope is that GH recommits to valuing staff writer efforts and input, with a more intentional focus on diverse viewpoints — and thrives for another 60 years.”
